The present invention relates to a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter abbreviated to xe2x80x9cFPCxe2x80x9d) attachment structure for signal transmission to a recording head in a recording and reproducing device using a recording/reproducing disk such as a floppy disk or a hard disk, and the recording and reproducing device using the structure.
A recording and reproducing device using a conventional flexible printed circuit board (FPC) attachment structure will be described in accordance with a magnetic recording and reproducing device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. Sho 63-72712. As shown in FIG. 14, as a part of the structure of the magnetic recording and reproducing device, a head support arm 11 is attached to a carriage 8 and a head attachment base 8a of the carriage 8 via a plate spring 12. The head support arm 11 is elastically biased so as to be rotatable upward and downward.
A pair of opposed recording heads 6 and 7, respectively comprising a magnetic head, are attached to the end of the head attachment base 8a and that of the head support arm 11. The recording heads 6 and 7 are elastically brought into contact with front and rear surfaces of a recording disk 10 comprising a floppy disk, represented by an alternate long and short dashed line, and the carriage 8, guided by a guide shaft 15, reciprocates in arrow A directions along a radial direction of the recording disk 10.
Then, while the recording disk 10 is rotated at a high speed, the recording heads 6 and 7 are moved in the arrow A directions, to record/reproduce or erase information with respect to the front and rear surfaces of the recording disk 10.
In the recording and reproducing device of this type, the recording heads 6 and 7 are connected to ends of FPC""s 21 and 22, and the other ends of the FPC""s 21 and 22 are connected to a circuit pattern (not shown) of a printed circuit board 23 via connectors 24.
As shown in FIG. 15, in an attachment structure for the conventional FPC""s 21 and 22 as described above, the connectors 24 previously attached to the printed circuit board 23 are projected from a through hole 25a of a chassis 25 of the recording and reproducing device.
On the other hand, the other ends of the FPC""s 21 and 22, opposite to the ends connected to the recording heads 6 and 7, are guided to the outside from the head attachment base 8a and the head support arm 11. In these end portions, the FPC""s 21 and 22 have terminals 21a and 22a such that terminals 21a are exposed on one surface of the FPC 21 while the terminals 22a are exposed on one surface of the FPC 22.
Electrical conduction is made between the recording heads 6 and 7, and the wiring pattern (not shown) of the printed circuit board 23, by inserting the ends of the FPC""s 21 and 22 having the terminals 21a and 22a into connecting portions 24a of the connectors 24 having a plurality of contacts.
Note that reinforcing plates 26 as shown in FIG. 15 are attached to rear surfaces of the FPC""s 21 and 22 at the portions of the terminals 21a and 22a, to increase the strength of the terminals 21a and 22a and neighboring parts of the FPC""s 21 and 22, such that the FPC""s 21 and 22 do not break even if the carriage 8 is reciprocated in the arrow A directions at a high speed.
Further, as the reinforcing plates 26 are attached to the portions of the terminals 21a and 22a, the thickness of the FPC""s 21 and 22 at the terminals 21a and 22a is about 0.3 mm, which ensures connection between the terminals 21a and 22a and the connecting portions 24a of the connectors 24 when the terminals 21a and 22a are inserted into the connecting portions 24a of the connectors 24.
Further, in another conventional FPC attachment structure, as shown in FIG. 16, an attachment surface 21b (22b) of the FPC 21 (22) is attached to an inner side surface 27a (27b) of an approximately turned square U-shaped auxiliary member 27 by adhesive or the like, and the auxiliary member 27 is mounted on the printed circuit board 23. The terminals 21a (22a) projected downward are directly inserted into an attachment hole 23a of the printed circuit board 23 and attached thereto by solder or the like.
In this manner, in the conventional FPC attachment structure for the FPC""s 21 and 22, the reinforcing plates 26 or auxiliary member 27 reinforces the thin-plate flexible FPC""s 21 and 22, and the FPC""s are directly attached, or attached via the connectors 24, to the printed circuit board 23. Accordingly, even if the carriage 8 is reciprocated along the arrow A directions, the FPC""s 21 and 22 do not fall, or the terminal portions 21a and 22a directly attached to the printed circuit board 23 do not cause conduction failure. Thus, high reliability can be attained.
However, in the above-described conventional FPC attachment structures for the FPC""s 21 and 22, as the FPC""s 21 and 22 are reinforced by the reinforcing plates 26 or the auxiliary member 27, the number of parts increases, thus increasing the cost of manufacture.
Further, in the recording and reproducing device using the conventional FPC attachment structure as above-described structures for the FPC""s 21 and 22, the number of assembling steps must be increased for attaching the reinforcing plates 26 or auxiliary member 27 to the FPC""s. Assembly operability is therefore degraded and manufacture, thus productivity is lowered.
The present invention has its object to solve the above problems and to provide an FPC attachment structure which increases strength with a reduced number of parts and without any specific reinforcing member, and a recording and reproducing device using the structure.
Accordingly, as a first solution to these problems, the present invention provides a flexible printed circuit board attachment structure comprising: a printed circuit board having an attachment hole; and a flexible printed circuit board having a terminal formation portion where terminals are exposed at an end of one surface, and a connection portion where a circuit pattern is extended from the terminal formation portion to a signal transmission side, wherein the terminal formation portion has a base portion extending the connection portion to the signal transmitting side, and a bend base portion and a bend portion, bent from the base portion, along a bending line in a direction of insertion into the attachment hole of the printed circuit board, such that the terminals are exposed outside, and wherein the bend portion and the base portion are inserted into and attached to the attachment hole.
Further, as a second solution to these problems, in the above structure, the terminals are exposed on an outer surface of the base portion and the bend portion.
Further, as a third solution to these problems, in the above structure, the base portion is a terminal formation region where the terminals are, and the bend portion is a terminal non-formation region where the terminals are not formed.
Further, as a fourth solution to these problems, in the above structure, the attachment hole is formed so as to have a T shape comprising a long hole and a short hole, and in the base portion or the bend portion, a narrow width portion is formed by providing a notch in the bend base portion and in an end surface on a side opposite to the bend base portion, further, the narrow width portion is inserted into the short hole.
Further, as a fifth solution to these problems, in the above structure, the attachment hole is formed such that a side where the bend base portion is positioned has a narrow width, while a side where an end surface on a side opposite to the bend base portion is positioned has a wide width.
Further, as a sixth solution to these problems, in the above structure, the bend portion and the base portion are attached to each other by adhesive, and wherein the terminals are brought into contact with an inner surface of one side of the attachment hole and attached to the inner surface.
Further, as a seventh solution to these problems, the present invention provides a flexible printed circuit board attachment structure comprising: a flexible printed circuit board having a terminal formation portion where terminals are exposed, at an end of one surface, and a connection portion where a circuit pattern is extended from the terminal formation portion to a signal transmission side; a connector that connects the terminals to a connecting portion by inserting the terminals into the connecting portion; and a printed circuit board to which the connector is attached, wherein the terminal formation portion has a base portion extending the connection portion to the signal transmission side, and a bend portion bent from the base portion such that the terminals are exposed outside, and wherein the bend portion and the base portion, attached to each other with adhesive, are inserted into the connection portion of the connector.
Further, as an eighth solution to these problems, in the above structure, the bend portion is bent along a bending line in a direction of insertion into the connecting portion of the connector.
Further, as a ninth solution to these problems, in the above structure, the bend portion is bent along a bending line in a direction orthogonal to a direction of insertion into the connecting portion of the connector.
Further, as a tenth solution to these problems, the present invention provides a recording and reproducing device using the flexible printed circuit board attachment structure.
Further, as an eleventh solution to these problems, the recording and reproducing device further comprises a recording head that performs recording/reproducing and the like with respect to a recording disk, and the flexible printed circuit board is connected to the recording head.
Further, as a twelfth solution to these problems, in the recording and reproducing device, the terminal formation portion of the flexible printed circuit board is provided in parallel to a moving direction of the recording head.
Other objects and advantages besides those discussed above shall be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which follows. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof, and which illustrate an example of the invention. Such example, however, is not exhaustive of the various embodiments of the invention, and therefore reference is made to the claims which follow the description for determining the scope of the invention.